Anderson Silva: I hope Jon Jones isn’t mad I took his UFC 200 spot

LAS VEGAS — On Wednesday night, one of the greatest fighters of all time was pulled from UFC 200. About 24 hours later, one of the greatest fighters of all time was added to the card.

Anderson Silva will be replacing Jon Jones at UFC 200 on Saturday here at T-Mobile Arena against Daniel Cormier, it was announced Thursday night. Jones tested positive for a banned substance in a June 16 out-of-competition drug test and was flagged by USADA for a potential anti-doping violation.

After a day-long search, UFC president Dana White said it came down to three choices: Silva, Dan Henderson or Gegard Mousasi. “The Spider,” the longtime former UFC middleweight champion, was the top choice and after he passed his medicals the fight was booked.

At an impromptu press conference Thursday night after UFC Fight Night: dos Anjos vs. Alvarez, Silva addressed the media and spoke briefly about Jones failing a drug test. Silva, himself, tested positive for steroids in January 2015 and served a one-year suspension imposed by the Nevada Athletic Commission. Silva and Jones have also developed a friendship over the years as perhaps the two best fighters of all time.

“I was sad,” Silva said, through a translator, about the Jones situation. “I know he went through a lot and I know he was very well prepared to fight Daniel Cormier. With USADA coming into the UFC, things have gotten a lot more professional. You have to watch out for everything we put into our bodies, every supplement. Things can happen. I think something happened and I hope he doesn’t get mad I took his place.”

Silva, 41, said his manager Ed Soares reached out to White about two hours after he found out about Jones being pulled. Silva was going to be ….View full article